Comments on: The Web on World AIDS Day — Understanding (RED)’s Relationship With Social Media and Christmas 2009 http://nathanacosta.com/2009/12/01/red-and-world_aids-day-understanding-with-social-media-christmas-2009/ Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:12:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Nathan Acosta http://nathanacosta.com/2009/12/01/red-and-world_aids-day-understanding-with-social-media-christmas-2009/#comment-71 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:55:52 +0000 http://nathanacosta.com/2009/12/01/the-web-on-world-aids-day-using-social-media-to-spread-awareness/#comment-71 Hi Glenn,

Thanks for your feedback! I agree that the (RED) organizations are engaged in something that is hard to label. Perhaps this is just the complex nature of real-world CSR. I will do some more research into Carl Roger’s diffusion of innovation theory. There is a lot of speculation these days of whether Twitter has crossed that threshold of early adopters and is now closer to mainstream. I think to answer that question we have to redefine what we consider mainstream. Twitter users are a diverse bunch, and many do not stay active with the service.

I’m glad you enjoy my blog. I created the image header in Photoshop but my blog is still hosted on the WordPress server. I plan to self-host in the future.

]]> By: Glenn Scott http://nathanacosta.com/2009/12/01/red-and-world_aids-day-understanding-with-social-media-christmas-2009/#comment-70 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:12:42 +0000 http://nathanacosta.com/2009/12/01/the-web-on-world-aids-day-using-social-media-to-spread-awareness/#comment-70 You’re raising a handful of great, provocative questions here, Nathan, while also focusing on something of a new media model that sure fits the mission of this nice blog. If Corporation A backs a worthy cause but uses its linkage to polish A’s reputation, is that a form of manipulation? Or is it enlightened self-interest? We’ve been arguing that point for decades.

It’s perhaps a law of human nature that we’re more likely to act, even in noble ways, if we perceive some benefit. Erving Goffmann, the early scholar and social scientist often credited as a founder of framing theory, understood that, in essence, we’re ‘performing’ any time we present ourselves to others in our daily lives.

So too are organizations. PR, in a sense, is simply a more formalized process of attending to the public consciousness.

All of this is a strained way to suggest that the (RED) campaign is quite innovative in reaching people through new media forms and poignant messages. And the fact that (RED) has tapped into the social orientation of some high-profile businesses is, in the big picture, a practical success to achieve its ends. I’m impressed. Twenty years ago, we might have termed all this progressive.

For a way to help explain how a campaign like this might spread, we can tap into Carl Roger’s much-cited theory called diffusion of innovation. (RED) is working new media channels to reach change agents and early innovators who are sensitive to the issue and inclined to embrace movements that arrive in poignant, artistic formats. Like this blog.

By the way, I like the design here, especially your header. Did you design it yourself? Use Photoshop? Or are you using the WordPress CSS service? Just wondering — and you’re a good teacher.

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